Zombiestuck Davejade
by EmeraldFire686
Summary: The infection has spread and the group is separated. Lost in the streets, Jade goes on a search for her group. Having to deal with not just zombies but zombies that evolve from either a walker or a runner into something worse, jade has to save her group, find supplies, and find the civilization of uninfected humans who live without fear. (Davejade/Katnep)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

My body hurts as I walk down the street. The stench of death stings my nose as I search for everyone who left. More like taken away.

An infection broke lose and now, every human alive has the chance to turn against each other by eating one another. This happened about a month ago. It's horrifying to how fast it spread.

Those who are not infected have a chance to live. Well... until they get infected or eaten.

My group I was with were scattered and now lost with me only far, far away. Dave, Terezi, Karkat, Nepeta, Kanaya, Rose, and John.

Car horns blare as I hear shuffling behind me. A grin crosses my face as I think of the thought of destroying the monsters who took my freinds. I turn, pulling out a pocket knife I found on a dead, suffering body.

The shuffling gets louder and louder until I hear hissing and groans.

I take a step back then turn and bolt as I see the number of zombies coming at me. Ripped flesh peel from their skin and some are missing limbs or eyes. A few have no bottom jaw.

The hissing and groaning fall silent as I run as fast as I can away. A few moments later, I force out the image of now and think of the past. Bright, green leaves on trees and bushes and lush, green grass beneath my feet. Now there is no grass or happiness any more. It was taken from all of us.

No sound came to my ears as I fall to my knees. Pain shoots through my chest as I feel so alone and helpless. So alone and weak, waiting to be eaten alive. Not being able to free myself from the darkness of my heart. So I push it all out and think everything is going to be ok.

I smile and image my friends by my side. I imagine the lush green grass and the light blue sky. Puffing white clouds, tall, strong trees, new buildings, smooth streets, everything that was taken from the world.

I lay on the ground gently and push out the gray sky full of smoke. I blow away the stench of death and the sounds of nothing.

"Everything is fine." I whimper to myself. "Everything is going to be fine."

. . . . .

There was a crack and a rumble of thunder and tears from above splash on my body. The smooth rhythm of rain eases my mind as I lay with my eyes closed.

I hear footsteps to my right and left. Groans erupt the silence of the rain. I sit up and look at the walking corpses. One of them hisses at me and I see the bloody drool drip from his dry, cracked lips.

I leap up and laugh like an insane person. I leave the knife on the stone floor and walk down the street with the walkers behind me. I hear a scream of the dead and footsteps, faster than the others.

Runner!

I turn and see a corpse sprinting for me. I laugh again and run. The runner screams and runs faster at me, it's prey. I start to run backwards and I tease it by making faces and mocking it.

Everything is fine.

The walkers are left behind to suffer and starve until they fall and decay faster than they are now. The screaming runner chases me until his foot snaps and he crumples to the ground. It lets out a whimper and I stop. I walk towards it and its whimper turns into a hungry hiss.

I frown at it and leave it to suffer.

Everything is fine. Everything is going to be ok.

The runner squirms and figures out how to crawl. It gets into a rhythm and claws at the ground. It comes faster and faster and it grabs at my leg. I snicker and take a few steps back. It hisses in anger and charges again, flailing its' legs to go faster.

I leap into the air and nail it in the head with my heel. Blood flows out of its head and its hissing disappears into the roar of thunder.

My hair drips water droplets as I step off of it. One down, millions to go.

I flick my foot to get the bloody goop off of my shoe as I slowly inch my way through the street. No more hissing and shuffling means no more zombies near me.

I am safe at the time.

The rain makes my body shiver as I keep my feet in a steady rhythm as I walk alone in the dark streets filled with sorrow.

No sound pleases me. Only the crack of thunder and lightning and the roar of rain.

No one is here to watch my back or motivate me to keep on living. But I will not stop. I will never stop until I know all my friends are ok. I will see them and we will all cry and greet each other and tell each other what happened when they were alone.

I will see their faces and I will see their warm smiles.

The rain roars on and my clothing saggs. My socks are soaked and my shoes no longer give my feet warmth.

This sucks.

Where to go now? I ask myself. I look around for anything to please my empty stomach.

Then my eyes land on a store. A grocery store which should have some food left.

My eyes light up as I run for the store. I leap and roll and thump my back against the wall. I creep to the doors and they open automatically. At least one of them do. The other opens half way and stops. They shake as they open.

It's time to hunt. I think as I roll into the trashed store.

Nothing. Nothing but knocked over shelves and for sure dead bodies. Someone was here before me. I take a step forward and I crunch on an empty wrapper.

It's alright. I can find food. Just keep looking and don't lose hope!

I walk forward with no caution and start my hunt for food.

Nothing in the first lane. Nothing in the second lane. Nothing in the third, fourth, or fifth lane. Nothing in the sixth, seventh, or eighth lane either.

A sigh escapes my dry lips. Don't lose hope. I tell myself.

I keep looking and looking until I spot it. A wrapper with a candybar hidden in it.

Yes! Food! I scream in my head. I leap for the bar but then it moves. What? I search the bar for a string or something. Yep. There it is. But who would do this? Do they want to eat me and turn into a zombie too? That's one way to turn. Eat another human.

I reach for it slowly and land my hand on the bar. The rope tugs hard but I keep my grip. I lay on the floor and breath softly, searching for who ever has the other end of the string.

There he is. Half zombie, half human. He is dying and starving. He notices I see him and he charges at me, a huge knife in his hand.

I keep my bar and leap up. Down comes the knife. I feel the wind against my face as it zips my, missing me. I kick the filthy man in the nuts and then kick him in the side with my other foot. He crumples to the ground.

I shake my finger in his face and shake my head. I stand and run off into the streets once again, leaving him behind with his pain, knife, and infection.

The rain has come down harder then before, making me walk slower. The pain in my body wins and I fall to the ground, helpless and motionless.

. . . . .

I open my eyes and see grass. Not lush but forest grass. I push myself up, into a sitting position and look around. Darkness and something. Something that seem familiar. Something that seems like a dream. Is that real?

I crawl over to the idem, trying to ignore the pain. It's...it's...It's...!

I grab it and hold it tightly to my body, never wanting to let go. It's Karkat's coat! It's his dark gray coat!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Happiness erupts inside of me as I rock myself back and forth. Karkat saved me! He saved me! He's alive! Alive!

I stand up and look around for any evidence that the others are alive too. None. Nothing but darkness. No one but me is here. But Karkat is somewhere in the forest. I know it! I just know he is somewhere near by.

I walk around, looking for something but even I don't know what. I guess I have to wait for the light of the sun to come up and show me the world again.

I give up on walking and plop down onto the moist, wet grass. At least the rain has stopped. I guess that makes me feel a tiny bit better.

I just wish Karkat were here to comfort me. To prove to me that he really is alive and not dead with his jacket being the only thing left of him. He has to be alive. he HAS to!

I curl up into a ball and force myself to fall asleep once again only by will. The warmth of his jacket sooths my icey skin and I drift off into a deep sleep.

. . . . .

When I wake, I feel a warm hand, brushing against my arm. I whip my head around and see Karkats' face. His warm smile makes me feel better.

"Karkat!" I manage to say through my dry throat.

"Jade." He pulls me up and hugs me tight. "We thought we were the only ones left! We thought you all died." A warm tear hits my face and I realize he and I are crying.

"Wait. What do you mean 'we'?" I ask.

He looks at me and pulls me to my feet. "Dave is here too." He steps out of the way and I see Dave, sitting by a tree, eyes closed and sleeping.

Tears fall from my face and I run toward him. Karkat grabs my shoulder. "Don't. He got injured when we went hunting for food." I look at him and ask, "How bad and where?"

"Side. He was shot by a group of madmen. Hunters I think. Have you ran into some of them yet? There are many groups of 'em."

I shake my head and look over at Dave. His breath is shaky and I can see the blood stain on his white and red shirt. Now it's white, red, and dark red.

This is really bad. I finally meet up with Karkat and Dave and Dave is injured. Poor Dave.

I look back at Karkat and go off topic. "So... uh... did you find any food?"

"Yeah. But not that much. Well... at least not enough for a week."

"Can I have some?" I blurt out.

"Sure." He says turning around and reaching for his pack. He pulls out a can of peaches and hands it to me. "Here. You and me can share it."

I look over at Dave. He is probably going to be sleeping for a while. I grab the can and pop it open. I reach into the can and pull out a slippery pear slice. I pop it into my mouth and I feel the slippery pear slide down my throat.

Karkat reaches in and pulls out one for himself and eats it.

"Thanks." I say happily.

He smiles back at me and walks over to a tree stump and sits down. I follow him and we sit and eat. Telling each other what happened when we were alone.

Some time passes and Dave finally stirs. He groans and struggles to stand up. Karkat rushes over and eases him to the ground. "Stay put Dave." He whispers.

Dave sighs and asks, "How long was I asleep?"

"A few hours." Karkat answers.

Dave rests his head on his shoulder and groans again. I walk over and sit down next to him. "Are you feeling alright?" I ask stupidly.

He looks at me and smiles. "Jade." He says with pain in his heart. "Your alive. We thought you were dead when we carried you back." He wrapps his arms around me and doesn't let go until after a few moments of silence.

I hug him back and pain shoots through my arms. I ignore the pain and hold him tight. He warm body against mine makes me feel safe. I let him go and he lets me go. Tears stream down his face. I feel tears on my face as well.

I try to get away from our reunion by asking, "Have you guys got any clue on where the rest of our friends are?"

They both shake their heads sadly.

I sigh and try to relax but my body is tense.

Karkat then blurts out, "We need to get moving! Dave was bleeding and if a trail of his blood was left behind, we are going to be eaten. Is will not be that hard to follow a trail of blood even if they are human or not!"

Dave pushes his sunglasses farther onto his face and frowns a "sorry".

I push myself up and extend a hand to Dave. Karkat does the same. He grabs our hands and we lift him up, off the ground. His legs wobble as he tries to walk. He takes a few steps and starts to get the hang of it. Ignoring his shot, he walks around us, proving he can walk by himself.

Karkat isn't convinced. He walks over to Dave and helps him around. I help too.

We start to walk farther into the forest until we stop and listen to the hissing in front of us.

It's going to be fine.

The hissing gets louder and louder and we start to walk/run in the other direction. The forest path that leads us to the town.

We step on grass, leaves, and twigs but we manage to somehow get away from the hissing. Just for a while though.

A scream echoes through the town and something hits my back. Hard. I fall the the ground and a hiss escapes from what is probably a runner on my back. I fling up my elbow and hit it right in the face. The runner stumbles and rolls off of me, dazed.

I stand up and stomp down as hard as I can on it's face. It squishes under my foot. Karkat looks at me in surprise. I just act like nothing happened.

I jog over to Dave and Karkat and help Dave run faster. "Wh-Where are we going to go?" Dave asks silently like he is dying. "I don't know." I say. Karkat then says, "Anywhere but here."

We run faster and we are practically carrying Dave down the street. His feet slide across the cracked street as we chase after nothing.

Nothing but the sun. We are chasing the sun.

Where to go? Where to go?! I ask myself.

I hear a crack of gunshot and a walker behind us crumples to the ground. I try to see who shot it and if it is a hunter but I see no one. But I hear a voice. "Turn to your right!" Shouts the voice. It's so familiar. The high pitched voice sounds so familiar.

Nepeta! It's Nepeta!

We make a sharp right and we then spot the short girl. She holds up a shotgun that is too big for her and shoots another walker.

"Get in!" She says to us, turning and opening a house door. We don't ask questions and we follow. We run inside and Nepeta shuts the door and locks it behind us. She rushes over to a filthy couch and shoves it aside with all her strength. The couch then reveals a secret trapdoor. She opens it and points into it. "Get in here. It's safe down there." She says urgingly.

Karkat lets go of Dave and climbs down into the dark hole. "Pass Dave!" I hear his voice say. I walk over and Dave struggles to stand. Nepeta helps me lower him down and Dave grabs hold of the ladder and works his way down. I follow him.

I see the trapdoor close and the couch covers it once again as I climb my way down into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

My feet land on cold stone and I turn around to see nothing but darkness. I sigh and step into the room of nothing. Then a light appears, revealing Nepeta. A steel door stands tall behind her, locked and shut. She works her way around the room and lights four candles.

Nepeta smiles at us and we all smile back. Me and Karkat anyway. Dave, I guess, is out cold again. Probably from too much blood loss.

I walk over to Dave, who is leaning on Karkats' shoulder, and help him over to Nepeta. "Do you have any bandages or anything that might help him?" I ask her sounding more worried than I wanted to. She simply says, "I have bandages."

She crawls over to a corner in the small, stone room and crawls back with bandages. She gives me a bandage and starts to pull up Daves' shirt to get and the wound. She gasps and thinks hard. She then disappears into the darkness again.

She reappears with a small knife, tweezers, and more bandages. Karkat just holds Dave upright as Nepeta finds the bullet and yanks it out. Hard. Good thing Dave is out cold.

"Do you have any supplies to give him stitches?" I ask concerned. Nepeta shakes her head and says, "Sorry. Nothing." I sigh and feel sorry for Dave, wishing inside that he will still be ok. He is strong. He can live through this. I just know it.

The bullet falls to the stone floor and she quickly starts to wrap Daves' wound. I start to wrap him up too. The bandages turn dark red right away and Nepeta shrugs. "That's all the bandages I have. We will have to look for more I guess." Karkat, who was holding up Daves' shirt, drops his shirt over the bandages and pulls Dave back so he is laying down.

I crawl over to Dave and pet his hair gently. Karkat places his hand on my shoulder. "He is going to be fine." He says. But he didn't make a promise which means he is not sure. Dave might die. Dave might leave us.

No. No! I scream in my head. I fight back tears as I take of my dark green jacket and place it on him, hoping it will keep him warm.

Karkat grabs Nepeta's' hand and asks, "Do you have any idea on where the others might be?" Nepeta thinks hard. After a few moments of silence besides Dave's shaky breath, she lights up. "I met up with Terezi and Kanaya a few days ago. they were heading for the church. It's not to far from here. A few miles really."

Karkat looks surprised and happy. Then he frowns. "Wait. Why the fuck did you leave them? Or did they leave you?" Nepeta looks at the ground, refusing to hold karkat's gaze. "When we were heading for the church, a small group of hunters came by and separated us. I think that Kanaya found Terezi but they couldn't find me." Karkat takes his hand off of Nepeta's and punches the ground.

"DAMN IT!" He yells with anger. "Why are those fucking hunters everywhere?! Why can't they all just fucking die!"

Nepeta hugs Karkat tightly whispering, "Stop it. It's alright." But Karkat yells, "It's not alright! We need to find the rest of our group before they are all killed!"

Tears stream down my face and I say, "No. They are going to be fine. No one is going to die." They both look at me. I smile at them like everything is fine.

Nepeta fights back tears but the tears win. They stream down her face and Karkat snaps back to himself fighting to be calm.

Karkat looks at Nepeta who is sobbing into his blood stained jacket. He pets her head and says, "I'm sorry. I will try to control my anger next time." His arms wrap around Nepeta and tears fall off of his face.

This world is cruel but we should never give up. Ever.

I lay my stiff body of the stone floor and I look around. Everyone is asleep but me. Karkat has Nepeta leaning against him by the stone wall with a torn blanket on top of them. They sleep peacefully and I drift off into a slumber next to Dave's suffering body

. . . . .

My cell phone rings and I pick it up off the dinner table and answer it. "This is Jade." I say, poking my chicken with my fork. "Th-This is an emergency." Says a panicked voice.

John.

"Something is horribly wrong." He whispers into the phone. "What happened?" I ask, setting down my fork. "A disease. An infection. Everyone is in danger. All humans need to fight for survival. death. pain. Suffering." His voice says frantic. I hear a scream in the background.

"Save your family! Get out of your house. Tell the others. Get them to Rose's mansion. Hurry! You don't have time! get out and save the others." I stay silent, waiting for him to give in and say it's a prank like he always does.

But, this time he doesn't.

"Get out of your house NOW!" He screams. Then a horrored howl echoes in the backround and John screams. The line goes to static. I set down the phone terrified.

No. He has to be lying. He is just trying to scare me! I laugh and eat my food, the horror dwelling inside me.

Then my mom screams.

I drop my fork and run into the living room. The door is wide open. A trail of blood leads to the couch. My mother screams and cries as she is pulled back by my dad. My neighbor hovers over my little sister. Blood drips off of him and lands on my dead sister.

Dead. Ripped to pieces. Mouth open in a screaming formation. Eyes wide with horror. My parents run toward me, pulling me back. My neighbor turns his head and looks at me, his jaw hanging open. Bloody drool dripping out of his mouth. his flesh, ripping and bleeding.

The walking dead. He looks like the walking dead. A zombie. A monster. A human being eaten by an infection. his brain, being controlled. being forced to eat other humans. John was never lying.

. . . . .

A warm hand rests on my shoulder. I spring awake and alert. I look over and Dave's eyes meet mine. Mine behind glasses, his behind his shades. I smile at him. "Your ok." He rubs my cheek and wipes away my tears.

"You were crying when you were asleep." He says sadly. "What were you dreaming about." I grab his hand and keep it in mine. "I was having a nightmare. About the day where the infection started. The day when John called me." I look at him and he smiles. "Don't worry. I will always protect you."

He pulls me up to his shoulder and places my head on my chest. I can hear his heart beat. Slow and steady. Keeping a rhythm matching his breathing. His hand pets my hair and I start to fall asleep by the comfort of his presence. The comfort of his skin on mine. The comfort of his heart beat. The comfort of him.

But we are interrupted by a howl and gurgles above. They found us and they are looking. The zombies are hunting us. I lift up and off of Dave and run over to Nepeta and Karkat. I shake them awake and they spring to action. Karkat gathers supplies and Nepeta helps Dave to his feet. Karkat tosses to packs to me and I catch them both. I swing one backpack onto my back and the other rest on my shoulder and hangs on the other side of me.

Nepeta leads Dave over to a door. The door where she came in. She pulls out a key that is wrapped around her neck and unlocks the door. A thump comes from above us. I peer at the trap door. The couch is moved! They are breaking the trap door!

"We need to hurry! They're almost in!" I shout in a panicked voice. Nepeta fiddles with the key until a click makes her freeze. She snaps back to reality and yanks the door open. Dave struggles to stand on his own and I rush over to help him.

A walker drops from the trap door and falls over, hissing at us. Nepeta helps Dave in and I pull Karkat and throw him into the dark hall. I follow him and shut and lock the door behind us.

We run through the hallway until we hit another door. Nepeta unlocks those too. The door opens to the daylight. The sunrays stream in and we rush out into the light. My eyes adapt and I see the church a few miles away like Nepeta said. Come on! I urge myself to walk forward. Karkat slams the door behind us and follows Nepeta.

Dave groans and falls to the ground. Nepeta struggles to keep him moving. Karkat rushes over and helps her and I stand frozen in shock and disbelief. Is that...? No. It can't be. It just can't be!

But it looks like them. It has the same resemblance as my... my... parents?! Karkat yells at me. "Get over here Jade!" he yells, pulling Dave to his feet. I force myself to move forward but my body freezes when I see their faces. They ARE my parents.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

This is not believable.

This can't be true.

I will not allow it to be true!

Karkat yells at me again. "Get your fucking ass over her now!" I snap back to reality and finally run over and help Dave walk. I take Nepeta's side and she leaves and reloads her shotgun. She then aims it at the door behind us. The door is slammed on and dented but the door will not break.

"Oh god oh man oh god oh man..." Karkat repeats over and over. Dave smiles at me and whispers, "Just leave me behind." I ignore him and continue to carry him forward. We head in the direction of the church which will take a while to get to.

The sun is being lowered behind the hills far, far away from the buildings. The church's' bell sits still at the top, never to be rung again. Until now. The bell chimes over and over again and all the zombies turn to the church and walk over to it. Most walk while others run and sprint.

Wait. Didn't Nepeta say that Kanaya and Terezi went to the church. Shit!

Karkat stares at the bell. It moves back and forth with it's own rhythm. "No." He finally manages to whisper. "No no no no no." He lowers his head and I can see his anger and sadness building up inside him. "Why would they do that? There is no point!" His rage is taking over his emotions. "Fuck you Kanaya and Terezi! Fuck you both!" He screams into the sky.

No zombie seems to notice us up on this low hill. Where to go now? The church will soon be infested with zombies. Kanaya and Terezi are probably dead by now. No. They are fine. They are totally fine.

I will see their faces again. Smiling and happy.

Everything is going to be fine.

Nepeta grabs Karkat's shoulder and looks at him sadly. His anger disappears and his emotions are taken over by sadness. It looks like he is going to cry but he fights them back. Nepeta leads the way. We then walk down the low hill and we venture to a tall building. I think Nepeta want's to get a good view.

We follow Nepeta all the way to a tall bank building. it's almost taller than the church. We climb up flights of stairs. Which is hard because Dave's legs will not work as hard as they use to.

Once we finally reach the roof, the hard winds hit us, calming our emotions. There is no stench of death up here. It is partly clean air! There is still the stench of smoke though. It's heavy gases makes it hard to breath.

Karkat lays Dave next to the door we came through. I help Dave lean against the concrete wall. I rub his arm sadly and whisper, "It's going to be alright Dave. You're going to be fine." I give him a friendly smile and he returns it. Then he looks in the direction of Nepeta and looks shocked. I whip my head around and see Nepeta and Karkat.

Nepeta is standing on the rim of the roof and Karkat is holding her hand and standing on the rim too! I leap to my feet and run over to them I grab Karkat's arm and yank him off the sile. I reach for Nepeta's arm but...

...she jumps.

I leap half my body over the edge and grab hold of her hoody. She grunts and wriggles and screams, "Let me go!" I use all my strength and manage to pull her up half way. But Karkat tries to pull me back. Is he trying to help or is he trying to have me let go of her so he can jump to.

He's helping.

He yanks me back and I keep my firm grip on Nepeta. She is pulled back onto the roof and we are breathing heavily from shock. Nepeta sits up and I slap her face. She looks at me, stunned.

"Why would you do that?!" I scream at her. She stays silent. "Never do that again!" I turn to Karkat. I raise my voice and erupt at him. "Why the hell would you do that too?! Were you going to jump as well?!" he stays silent also. "Well fuck you! Fuck you both! Stop being a bunch of dumbasses and get you head out of your ass! Just because we 'think' Kanaya and Terezi committed suicide does not mean you can try too! Think about the people who would grieve over you. They would be dramatised and would kill themselves if they got a chance!"

Karkat looks at me and I keep going on. "But why the hell would YOU, of all people, try to commit suicide?!" I raise my hand and prepare to slap him. Hard. But someone grabs my wrist. I whip my head around and look into the eyes of Dave.

I try to relax but my anger is erupting. Dave lets go of my wrist and hugs me. "Calm down." He says, closing his eyes. My body tenses. I sit there, frozen and shocked. Sadness builds up inside of me and I hug him back and sob into his shoulder. "It's ok." He whispers to me. I can hear the pain in his voice even when he is trying to hide it.

Karkat and Nepeta. What do I do about them. They tried to KILL themselves! I can't handle this anymore! I just can't!

I have the solution...

Just don't think about it. That's simple enough isn't it? No. Apparently it is very hard. The images keep flooding into my head and I can't stop crying! Stop damn it!

But I can't. The images, the pain, my feelings. I just can't calm down. I can't stop feeling emotions. I can't stop being human. Emotions is what makes humans. Zombies can't feel emotions. That is why they are not human. We are. We feel emotions. We feel pain and sorrow. We feel love.

Dave is not letting go and I am not calm yet and Karkat and Nepeta, I don't know what they are doing. After some moments pass, I finally cease my crying. But Dave does not let me go. Neither do I.

I finally let go because I was starting to fall asleep in his arms. That would be even more embarrassing that crying I think. Dave stares at the cement below him. I look at him, hoping to see his beautiful eyes. His blond hair blocks my sight. Dave stays still. No movements at all besides his chest moving up and down with his breath.

I finally manage to say, "Dave," in a worried voice. I look around. Karkat and Nepeta sit back to back and frown, hoping for the best. "Dave?" I croak. His arms shake and I see tears dripping off his nose and chin. I crawl over to him and hold his hand in mine. "What's wrong Dave?" I ask, fighting back an urge.

Yes, and urge. I really want to do something that will both surprise us and embarrass me and him. I fight the urge to kiss him.

Dave looks up and me and whips off his shades and sets them on the floor. His red eyes shine in the sunset light and his tears shimmer brightly before they hit the stone. "I can't hold back my feelings of sadness any longer." He whimpers. "With all that's happening right now, I can handle it but there is something that I can't handle. Having to watch you all die."

Karkat and Nepeta whip their heads around, surprised yet happy. Dave truly cares about all of us. I can see that is Karkat's eyes.

I grab his other hand and hold them tightly, never wanting to let go. "Everything is going to be fine." I say. "You will never see any of us die." I guess it's my turn to comfort him. He smiles at me and pulls me close. He rests his head on mine, wraps his arms around me, and we fall asleep a few minutes later.

. . . . .

Hours pass and I finally wake to Karkat tapping my forehead. "What?" I ask annoyed. "We need to get moving."

"Where?" I ask.

"To Roses' mansion. That's where John told us to go right?"

"Yeah. Do you know where it is?"

"It's east from here. If we start now and take breaks at night, we will get there in about two days on foot."

"What is we find a car?"

"Then a few hours."

"I chose to find a car." I insist.

Karkat nods and walks over to Nepeta and wakes her up. I am about to wake Dave up but he is already awake. "Good morning sunshine." He says. I look up and smile at him. "Morning." I say as he lets me get up. I grab his hand and help him to his feet.

Karkat peers through the door window and says, "All clear." We then open the door and rush to the bottom floor. Down we go until we hit the front door and exit.

I step outside and the stench of death stings my nose. "Ok." Karkat whispers to us. "Where do you think a working car would be?" I think for a moment then whisper back, "At my house. My parents always have a working car in the garage."

"So lets go then."

"It's not far. Plus, to our luck, it's also east form here!"

"Let's go!"

We race east and avoid all the hordes of zombies that walk by until we reach my old, broken down house. It looks so worn down and moldy... I can't believe this happened. My mom always cares for the house and her family but now that she is gone... I run up to the garage door and push out the thought. I try to open the garage door with my hands. Stuck. So I just give the keypad a try.

9-4-6-2 I type in. The garage door just barely opens. "I can't believe that worked!" Nepeta says surprised. I smile and help Karkat yank the door open enough so we can get in and the car can get out.

There it sits. The only working car in the neighborhood and it's all ours.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

I look inside the car and see the keys on the seat. I hit the window with my elbow and the glass shatters. I reach in and grab the keys. I unlock the doors and we all get in. Me in the drivers seat, Nepeta in the seat beside me, and Karkat and Dave in the back. Nepeta gets her shotgun ready and nods at me to say 'We are ready'.

I slip in the key and start the car. Yes! It's working! I think happily. I hear hissing behind us. Shit! Walkers!

I then switch the gear and drive backwards. I hit something. I hear groaning in the back seat. Dave! "Dave are you alright?" I ask the body laying down. Dave's head rests on Karkat's legs and Karkat is whispering something to him. But Dave still looks tense and in pain.

I frown and run over the zombie again to get out, onto the streets. I switch the gear again and drive forward. The world zips by, disappearing behind us.

Only a few hours. I tell myself. Only a few hours left. We drive on and Nepeta only has to shoot three times because of the runners. Those are the ones who can catch us.

Daves' groans fall silent and Karkat rubs his arm. I sigh and try to relax but the mages of Nepeta and Karkat trying to commit suicide and Dave crying flood my head. I fight back my anger and sadness while I drive at a fast pace.

I can now already see Rose's house on the top of a hill. It's worn down like my house but I can see two people on the roof of it. Nepeta spots them too.

"Oh my god." Nepeda says. "It's Rose and John!"

"What?!" Karkat leans forward, waking up Dave. "Wha-" Karkat trails off and stares at the side where Dave's feet are. A runner sprints as hard as it can and hisses, spraying bloody spit all over the window.

Dave tries to sit up but his wound just bleeds more, making him weaker. Karkat pulls Dave onto his lap and the window shatters. Glass fills the other side of the car and some glass shards hit Dave in the legs. Dave cries out in pain as he is shoved into the seat. Karkat apologises and takes Nepeta's shotgun. He aims it at the runners head and pulls the trigger. The body crumples and is left behind.

I step on the pedal harder and we fly up to Rose's house. We pull into her driveway and we all jump out. Nepeta runs to Dave's rescue and helps Karkat pull out Dave without being harmed. Dave whimpers and struggles to stand while his side bleeds horribly. Why didn't we have stitches?!

I run to the front door of Rose's mansion and yank open the door. Immediately two runners charge at me while a lot of walkers inch their way to me. I slam the door shut and the runners slam again and again to open the door and eat me. I let out a puff of air as I push on the door to keep it closed. The slamming does not cease. A ladder, most likely from John and Rose, falls to the ground, waiting to be climbed.

"The ladder!" I shout to Karkat. "Hurry!"

Karkat pulls on Dave's arm and rush over to the ladder, noticing that I can't hold the runners and walkers back much longer. Nepeta sprints up the ladder and meets up with John and Rose. Karkat is up just a little above the ground with Dave clinging to his back like dead weight. But he's not dead weight. He is a very dear friend to me. To all of us.

The door is slammed on harder and harder while I wait for Karkat to get higher so I have a chance to get out of the biting area. He is now up half way and I sprint. The door is immediately knocked down and a flood of zombies pour out. I leap and grab onto the ladder and use all my strength to climb out of the biting zone. But I am almost quick enough.

A runner jumps and hooks onto my leg and is dangling above the others. The other zombies see the chance to get at me and climb over each other and start to climb up the zombie on my leg. pain shoots through me by to much weight on my one leg and my arms have to hold it all up. I can't. No!

Don't give up. Everything will be fine once you climb higher and free yourself from them. Don't let go. Never let go. Never let go of life.

I grip the handle hard and kick at the zombie on my leg. It hisses at me and tries to bite me but he is being dragged down and stepped on by others. No! They are getting higher! CLIMB CLIMB CLIMB!

I force my hand off of the bar and manage to grab the next one. Keep going! I scream in my head. I grab the next and the next until the weight brings me down a bar. Shit! Keep going! Don't give up!

"Stop!" Karkat screams above me. I then see he has reached the top and Dave is being hauled up, onto the roof. "Stay there and be still! I am going to shoot them off of you. Just... don't move and don't climb."

I listen and know he can save me. So I stay put and feel their fingers find their way up my leg and start to climb on my other leg. Then I hear a bang. But no weight leaves me. It feels like that zombie was replaced by two more.

I can tell that it's not working by his face even though he is trying to look like it's working. Come on Karkat! I scream in my head. Shoot or I will climb!

"Shoot or I will climb!" I shout at him in a ragged voice full of rage.

"Fine! Go ahead and climb but don't go crying to me when your legs fall off!" He shouts at me, reloading Nepeta's shotgun. He shoots again, careful not to hit me and a zombie falls on top of the others. I grab at the rim above me and miss it and now I am hanging by one arm. It feels like my arm and legs are going to fall off!

A few zombies bite at the air, hoping to taste my pumping blood. I swing my arm up and grab while I kick at the zombies which makes my legs hurt more and more with every thrust. I start to climb and Karkat shoots at the ones on my legs. Three, four, six zombies fall to the pile below. The ladder starts to move upward, helping me get to the top.

I'm going to make it!

I grab the stone roof and pull myself up while all the zombies on my legs are shot off and fall into the pile of the dead below me. I roll onto the cool stone and I start to feel sick. Stomach sick.

I roll onto my back and paint. "My limbs are numb." I chuckle. Everyone just stares at me in surprise for a few moments then laugh, trying to push everything that happened out of their minds. John walks over and tosses the ladder which zombies were attempting to climb. The ones on the ladder crumple on top of the others below it.

Karkat helps me sit up and he attempts to help me stand but I just fall to the ground again. I smile at him and he sits down next to Nepeta and me. John smiles at me and Rose hugs me from behind. "We both thought you were dead for sure." She says to me. I pat her head and she lets go, thinking she hurt me. I lay on my back and wait for something to happen. Something happy that will warm my heart. But nothing. I just lay on the cold stone while the others discuss a plan. Dave is being stitched up by Rose and John raises his voice.

"We can wait you know! How can those dumb things find their way up here?" He yells.

"How did YOU get up here then?" Karkat asks raising his voice as well. John glares at Karkat and he returns the favor with a glare. Nepeta pushes them apart, making them break the glaring contest and says, "Stop it."

"I vote wait for Kanaya and Terezi with their helicopter." John insists.

"Fine." Karkat spits with anger.

I sit up and ask, "They are alive? I knew it!" John looks at me and Karkat looks at me too. "I forgot to tell you... sorry." Karkat says, scratching the back of his head. Joy flutters inside me.

"But... how did they escape the church?" I ask remembering the bell ringing, attracting all zombies. Karkat smiles.

"They somehow got a hold of a police helicopter and they are supposed to be coming here to save up from this death trap!"

"That's what they said!" John snaps at him.

Rose stands up and says, "Finished. Dave is all stitched up and, lucky, it was not infected so we are all good." She smiles and John returns the smile only less happy. I force myself to stand even though my legs are still numb and hobble over to Dave. I kneel down beside him and smile, stroking his hair.

"I promise you, Dave. You are going to be alright." I whisper in his ear. His silent body lays there, peacefully.

Rose places her hand on my shoulder and asks, "Are your legs good enough to jump?" I hesitate then nod. She smiles and points to a distant helicopter coming for us. Most likely Kanaya and Terezi. I feel hope rising inside of me.

Everything is going to be fine.

The helicopter comes closer and closer each second. Nepeta, Karkat, and John rush around and gather their supplies, their faces filled with joy and hope. Rose wakes Dave up and puts some sort of numbness on his wound and wraps it up again. She grabs his arm and pulls him into a sitting position.

"Do your legs work at all?" Rose asks him. He stands up and looks proud.

"Now they do." Says Dave, ignoring the numbness in him legs. I can see that he is wobbling so I walk over and help him walk. Rose helps too because I am not fully "recovered". Dave hobbles over to the incoming helicopter and I see Nepeta catching a falling ladder and starts to climb it. Karkat then waits for Rose to climb so him and John can haul us up.

"On my back Dave. Hurry." John insists to Dave. Dave shakes his head and grabs the ladder. He grabs the bar above him and places his foot on the bar a few below. He starts to climb and is followed by John. Karkat offers a place on his back like John did and I refuse as well.

"If I can walk, I can climb." I says to him. I grab hold of the ladder and force my way up. I start to slow down, remembering all the weight on my legs pulling me down and I start to feel it even though it's not there. I try to ignore it and continue to climb. Karkat follows below me on the ladder.

Nepeta reaches the helicopter and is greeted by Terezi. Terezi's face peers down like she is imagining that she can see us climb. But she can't see. Her eyesight was never with her. Just her eyes, empty of picture. It makes me so glad to see her face again.

Rose, Dave, and John reach the top as well and I feel hands grab me and pull me up. Karkat is on now as well. The ladder is pulled up by Nepeta and lays between us. Rose slams the door closed and I see Kanaya in the drivers seat, working with the controls like she's a pro.

I sit on my ass and think about what could of happened. No! Don't think. Relax. Your alive. You're going to stay alive. Keep fighting.

I crawl over to Dave and sit next to him. "Hey. Do you feel better?" I ask him gently.

"Hell yeah!" Says Dave happily. "I can finally walk on my own for once and seen, I will be back to kicking ass!" He smiles at the thought of being anything but dead weight. I smile back at him and we fly on.

"Wait." I say. "Where are we going anyway?" I turn my attention to Terezi, who is sitting next to Kanaya in the other seat.

Terezi's voice echoes in my head, "We are going to a place with no fear." Everyone whips their heads around, confused. "Kanaya said she spotted a huge wall. A long ways away though." Kanya bursts into the conversation.

"I found binoculars and looked at the top of the wall with them. There were soldiers and at the bottom of the wall were even more of them. Plus, the building past the wall looked like they were being taken care of like the time before this all happened. I bet you all that there is a civilisation of humans there. A place where they are protected and have no fear of being eaten. A place where we should live." Kanaya stays in her seat with a smile of hope on her face.

The small group of us lights up with hope and delight. Everything is going to be fine. We are going to make it. We are survivors.

Then the moment is ruined by Kanaya's frown. Terezi frowns as well, most likely having the same thought. "But there is one thing there are a few things stopping us..." Kanaya hesitates. "Me are Terezi learned that... the zombies..." Terezi gulps hard and does not let out a breath as Kanaya finishes. "...evolve."

"What do you mean, evolve?" Karkat asks. John looks at Rose and then at Karkat. Karkat still looks confused. "What do you mean, they evolve?" He asks again.

John then starts telling us what he and Rose saw. "The runners..." John breaths in. "Me and Rose saw a runner turn into something... else." Karkat looks at John, still confused and starting to get mad.

"The runner we saw..." Rose starts. "It gained a power of some sort. It could... jump higher and run faster. It just fell to the floor and it's bones started to shift. It was horrible." Rose can't continue on so John helps her.

"Then there were two walkers. They touched hand to hand and I thought they were going to start to feel a hint of feelings like the halfers but... they started to fuse." Karkat's anger starts to rise and gestures for him to continue. "They started to fuse and then they became some huge, strong, monstrous thing. It was seriously, really strong. It picked up Rose's moms' car and threw it at us. Rose shutters as he talks on.

"Wait wait wait..." Karkat interrupts. "How long were you two up there?"

"A few weeks. Weren't you wondering why all those zombie were in the house? Me and Rose set a trap for them and locked them in. They were so stupid they never tried to open the front door!" John chuckles then he turns serious again.

"Anyway... we call the big one the Gobblers and the really fast and jumpy ones the screamers. They scream louder than the runners do." Rose starts to talk again.

"The walkers also evolve into crawlers. When they give up on trying to run, they figure out how to crawl. Not crawling on fours with knees on the ground but... they crawl on their hands and feet. They are as fast as the runners and can climb on walls and ceilings. I don't know how this happens but it just dose." Karkat looks away, too stunned to say anything else.

Dave is frozen along with the others. Nepeta clutches to Karkat for safety and Dave just sits next to me, silent and stunned. "H-How are we ever going to win?" Dave finally asks.

"We can't win. That's why we are going to the safety area." Kanaya shouts back to us.

"But... what is they won't let us in with them or try to kill us?!" I blurt out scared.

Everyone stays silent, not knowing the answer.

"Shit." I whisper to myself as we fly closer and closer to the wall.


	6. Chapter 6

_This chapter was not the best I could of done. My brain was not in the game for this chapter and the next. Sorry! :(_

**Chapter Six**

The wall gets larger and larger as we fly closer. Me and Terezi switched spots and I peer through the window in front of me. The wall is HUGE! Wow.

I spot an officer pull out a walkie-talkie and starts to blab into it. Probably about us. I think they would want to know about an incoming helicopter out of know where.

He puts his talkie back and aims his gun at us. He points to a landing area out of the walls safety and Kanaya hesitates at first then turns the chopper around. She heads for the landing area and I spot a lot, and I mean a LOT of officers wait their. Do they have a secret entrance or something? I mean, how did they all get there so fast?

Kanaya lands the chopper. We all bounce in the air and fall to the floor again. Everyone whips their heads around and glares at her. "Sorry!" Kanaya smiles at them.

Officers open the door and yank us out harshly. We fall onto the dirt and we then all have guns aimed at us. We put out hands up like we're innocent.

All the officers have gas masks on and are wearing a full black suit with ammo on their belts around their waists and sashes full of bullets and knives. Each officer had two or three guns on them.

"Check them," says an officer. Two other officers run over to Terezi and Kanaya. They pull out some tracker device and... stab it into their neck?!

I move to sit up and "save" them but the officer who points his gun at me pushes me to the ground with the end of his light machine gun. I stay still yet watch them take it out of their necks. I look at the screen and it has a green screen saying, "Normal". They then walk over to John and Rose and do the same thing.

Two others run up to me and Dave and stab us in the back of the neck. Pain shoots through me and then the pain stops and I am released from the devices grasp. They walk over to, what looks like the head officer because he has his sight glass tinted with red, unlike the others who have blue, and say, "They are all clean sir."

"Good. Otherwise we would of killed you." He shouts to us with a deep voice. "You people are lucky you found us and came uninfected. Here, behind the wall is a civilized part of the city where we all live in harmony. No one is afraid, no one is infected, and NO ONE disobeys the rules." He chuckles at Dave.

Dave stays where he is, not looking scared one bit. "So..." The red shades officers says. "Looks like you are injured. Correct?"

Dave tilts his head and smiles at him. "What did you think it was oh great and powerful leader?" I can tell the officer is ticked off under his mask.

The head officers leg rears up and flies down to kick Dave. Dave tries to move out of the way but his stitches stretch and force him to stay. The impact of his boot knocks Dave onto his side. Right in the stitches too! Ow.

I sit up and the officer aiming his gun at me taps my back with his gun. "Lay down now." He orders me. I throw a glare at him and lay down. I give him my death glare and the officer ignores me and focuses his attention on the head officer.

Everything will be fine. I will myself to think it but I know it's not true.

Dave glares at the officer and lays on his back when guns are aimed at him.

"Anyway..." The leader continues on. "You will all obey the simple rules. Ne killing, hunting, threatening, or swearing at other citizens. There are many other rules and I hope that you are lucky and find someone who can tell you them."

Katkat sits up and a gun bobs his head. "Will you stop fucking doing that?!" Karkat yells at the officers with the gun at his head. The officer rears up his gun and makes Karkat in the face with the heel of it. Karkat falls to the ground and his nose starts to bleed.

"Also... Don't swear at the guards. Like the rules with the citizens, don't do them with the guards either." The leader states calmly like it happens every day. Karkat swears at him under his breath and they don't notice and continue on.

"Sir!" A guard shouts. "Sir... the infection... has..." The guard paints. "It's... inside... the wall... people are... getting... bitten and..." The guard can't continue and falls to his knees. "Hurry." He paints.

"You heard him! Go stop the infection!" Shouts the leader to the officers.

The painting guard says a few more words in between paints. "They... the infected... are evolving... quickly... stop it... now." The guards expression is terrified.

The leader yells at three officers to stay and guard us and he runs off to stop the infection spread. Karkat sits up and glares at the officers running away.

Everyone sits up and I stand up. I brush off the dirt and grass from my clothing and glare at the three guards then at Kanaya. "I thought this was supposed to be a place of peace and no hurt!"

"Well... I didn't know! You can't blame me. Blame these guards!"

"Fine!" I shout at her. I turn my attention to the guards and shout, "It's all your fault! Look at what you have done!"

The guards look at each other in confusion then ignore me. I grow furious and run up and kick a guard in the shin. He takes a jump back and aims his gun at me. "You little brat." He huffs at me. I smile like I am a cute little girl and he shoots at my leg. I just stand on one foot and weave around the bullet. It hits the dirt and I stand tall.

"Knock it off." Another guard says. "Ignore them and just keep watch for the infected."

I stand and look confused. "Arent they zombies?" I ask the guard to make him annoyed too.

"No. They are infected humans." He answers me. I am surprised he answered me! I continue...

"But they are not human. Human's have emotion. They don't thus making them not human. They are zombies."

"But they are not zombies. They were human beings!"

"Now they are not making them zombies."

"Zombies are the living dead! These infected people are not dead. They are only infected with a virus!" The guard raises his voice and turns his attention to me. I laugh on the inside. This is pretty fun!

"But... they die and are infected with the virus."

"They don't die!" The guard yells at me, sounding very much annoyed.

"Quiet and stop yelling at the girl." Says the last guard. Just one more to annoy... heheheheh.

"Infected." The guard I had the argument with says under his breath.

I walk over to the last guard that is not annoyed or mad. I see the gun on his back. A sniper rifle! I know how to use these! I grab the rifle and he smacks my hand off of it. I glare at him and grab it again. He hits my hands off of it. "Don't touch." He tells me like I am a baby girl. I glare at him hard then turn my glare into a pouty face.

"But I wannit." I slur my words together, acting like I am a little girl. The guard stands still, trying to ignore me. I think of a question that might have him answer me. "Do you even know how to use it?"

He looks at me and nods slightly. "Can I show you that I know how to use it?" He ignores me. Bad move. Oh well. I walk to his side and quickly slip it off him and hold it tightly. I play keep away and toss it to Karkat, who is now standing.

Karkat catches it and tosses it to Nepeta. The guard glares at me and orders Nepeta to hand it over. She giggles and hands it to John. John holds it in his hands and the gurad walks over to him. "Hand it over son." He reaches for it and tosses it to Rose.

"Don't call me son." John says to him. The other two guards start to fight back laughter as the guard travels around the chopper. Rose tosses it to Dave and Dave hands it to Terezi. Terezi stands there, not knowing where to throw it to. Kanaya walks up to her and takes it. "Thank you." She says and walks away smoothly.

The guard orders Kanaya to drop it and she does. The guard looks relieved and walks over to grab it then she kicks it over to me. I pick it up and smile at him. He charges at me and I aim it at him. He keeps coming so I roll out of the way.

YOUTH ROLL!

I stand up and shoot at the ground in front of him so he stops in his tracks. "Take it easy mad girl." Says the guard who is slowly walking toward me.

"Stay back!" I shout at him but he charges at me. I weave around him and he jumps at me again once he lands. I duck and hit him in the gut and he falls to the ground in pain. "Stay back." I warn him again. He gives me a look then notices the leader is coming back. I toss the guard his gun and sit down like I'm innocent.

"The infection spread has ceased." Says the leader to the three guards. He looks at the guard with him gun on the ground and see's him crouching next to it. "What are you doing? Why is your gun not on your back and where is your other gun?"

The guard stands up and solutes him. "Sir! The girl in green was messing with all of... us..." The guard stops talking as he notices he sounds weak. The other two guards deny it. Perfect. They just don't want to look weak. Idiots.

I force down a smile when the leader takes away one of his promotions. "You are now a wall guard. GO!" Screams the leader at him. He grabs his light machine gun and bolts for the wall to get his new uniform. The sniper rifle lays on the ground at the leaders feet and he leans down and picks it up. He sighs and shakes his head. He turns and leaves.

The leader waves his hand and says, "Follow me. Don't try to run or you will be shot down." The now two guards poke us to follow him and we do. We don't question and we follow in silence.

. . . . .

We see giant metal gates open so we can enter. It's huge, solid, unbreakable bars raise up above us and we then see a wood gate in front of it, which is also raised. Two gates, more protection. Smart.

We enter the part of the city that is silent and guarded. Guards are at every inch of the entrance area and we leave them behind to do their job. We then enter a thick, wooden door that leads underground and we follow on high alert. Karkat grumbles at the guard behind him and walks on, trying to get away from him. His nose stopped bleeding but I can see the dried blood on his ticked off face.

Kanaya holds Terezi's arm to lead her through the tunnel so she does not fall off into the water below us. At least I think it's water. It sure sounds like it. Dave is being half helped by John and Rose but he is forcing his way down the tunnel without help. But every now and then, he starts to lean to the side and they help him straighten up again.

We enter a giant room full of weapons and guards of all ranks. The huge room is still solid stone but it looks amazing. Thick metal bars push up, against the ceiling to keep it from falling in on them. "Here we are." Says the leader.

"Welcome to the undercity! This is the first part of it. The undercity is as big as the city above us. But, if you want to live inside these walls, you have to get a job first. Right now, after you find a job around here, you are at level one for being a citizen. After you are at the full citizen rank, you may move up to being a newbie. A newbie guard that is." He smiles at Nepeta, who is drooling over a really cool gun, and tries to continue until he is interrupted by a young boy.

"Sir! Sir!' The boy yells at the leader. "My brother fell into the river! You have to save him!" Tears burn down his oil smeared face. The leader shakes his head.

"I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do about it. That river leads outside the walls into the most dangerous zone. The prison. We can't do anything about it. Now, go back to your chosen family and weep over your lost brother." The leader shoves the boy aside and continues to talk to us but I ignore him.

I reach down and help the boy up to his feet. "A-Are you all su-sure you can't s-save him?" The boy sobs loudly.

"I think they can but..." I stop myself from saying anymore when the leader comes by.

"What are you doing with this filth?" The leader asks harshly. The boy fights back his sadness. But his sadness wins. "Come along now." He grabs my arm and pulls me alongside him. I look at the crying boy and feel so bad for him. His brother was just swept away and the guards don't care. Fuck the guards! I scream in my head.

I finally meet up with everyone else and they are all looking at a board with jobs posted on it. "Here is where you sign up for a job down here. If you don't like the choices, too bad. Pick one and go talk to that guard over there." He points to a guard with yellow tinted glass. Then he leaves saying, "You might want to pick a job before they are all gone!"

I turn around and another guard with tinted red glass comes by with five random people. I whip my head around and John, Rose, Kanaya, and Terezi have their posters in their hands. "What job is that?" I ask them.

"It's... something for oil. 'Oil Pumpers Helpers' it says. For level ones." Kanaya says, showing me the poster. "We all have it."

I look at the job board and reach out for one of the oil pumper helpers poster but another person snatches it. That was the last one too. I sigh angrily and look for another poster that might be close to the others. I can't afford to lose them in this huge city, above and below.

I scan the board and snatch a random poster and read it to Karkat, Nepeta, and Dave. "it says, 'River Care'." I gulp and look disappointed and angry. Karkat and the others grab the same poster and smile at me.

"Hopefully we can see each other when we 'work'. Are we all ready?" Says Nepeta with a fake smile. See probably thinks we are going to be separated again.

We all walk over to the guard with the yellow tinted glass and show him our posters. "This way." He says depressed, and we are lead to the river.

The river is huge and raging and it looks like it is madness inside it. The foam hits our faces as we stare at the monster river. "H-How are we supposed to 'care' for that thing?!" I shout to the guard. He shrugs and points to another guard with yellow tinted glass.

"Ask him. Give him your posters as well." He shouts over the roar of water. Then he turns and leaves me, Karkat, Nepeta, and Dave behind to somehow get across the river without falling into it and reach the guard to get the job.

We better hurry too because I see the other group with the same posters as us and they are running toward the guard as well. "Come on! We have to make it across or we have to leave and go out of the walls." I shout over the roar of the raging water.

We hurry over to a wet, slippery, and thin bridge to get across. Nepeta goes first. She is the one with the most balance out of all of us. She hesitates then hops onto the bridge.

Her foot right away slips and she falls and is now crawling to the guard. She refuses to look down as she makes it half way. "Keep going! Your almost there!" Shouts Karkat. He starts to crawl as well. Nepeta makes it over and is reaching to help Karkat get on the other side.

"Hurry up!" Nepeta shouts to us as she helps Karkat get to his feet. Dave hesitates then hops on and walks half way across the bridge, standing on two feet. Then he gives up on walking and falls into a crawling position. I start to crawl and I am almost half way as well as the person behind me.

"Move your fat ass!" Shouts the person behind me.

"How about you shut your fucking trap full of shit and wait!" I scream at the person behind me.

I crawl faster and reach a little past halfway until the person behind me hits me off. I fall and grab the edge of the bridge. It's so slippery and i can't hold on. I fight the pain in my arms and swing my other arm up. I grab on to his foot and yank on it.

He screams at me and I let go of the bridge. He struggles to hold on but I use him to swing my way in front of him. I am almost there. I reach for the edge of the rock where my friends are but I feel pain shoot through my hand. I let go of him and leap for the rock.

My hand skims the edge of the rock and I fall.


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is not that good... :( Sorry for my nonworking mind. The more comments, the more motivated I become! :D

**Chapter Seven**

My feet brush against the rock wall and I land on a very thin ledge just above the raging water.

The water then rises.

It brushes against my feet and I start to lose my balance. I grip onto the slippery wall for my life as I wait for the water to suck me in. "Don't let go!" I hear a voice shout from above me.

I can't tell who it is because of the roar in my ears. I try to climb but the wall is just to wet for me to make it up myself. The water keeps rising and I hear a loud ring. I see workers running around and getting away from the water. Then a question pops into my mind. Why is the bridge so wet?

The water rises. Shit! The water is going to rise so much that the bridge is below the water! Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!

My face is being burned by the waters rising temperature. Why is the water so damn hot? Then I hear steam being let out from the pipes. WHAT THE FUCK?! Are they trying to kill me?!

The water reaches my knees and I lose hope of living. It's now at my waist, not my stomach, not my chest. My hands drip blood from my tight grip on the wall. My feet fight to stay on the ledge but the water is too strong. I can't fight it.

Then I hear the voice again. "Let go!" And I listen. I let go and my body is quickly flushed away from the wall. I feel a hand on my arm, fighting to keep a grip as I am lifted out of the water. I land on the stone and my legs feel useless. My body burns by the water and my hands continue to bleed out.

My sight goes blurry as I fight for conciseness. I whimper as a hand touches my legs. "Sh-She's burned. She was burned by the water." Says the voice. The hand is still on my arm but it's grip is loosened a bit. I turn my head to look at the one who saves me. His blond hair. His red and white shirt. His sunglasses. Dave. I try to smile but my mouth will not let me.

Warmth surrounds my body. Not the water's burning warmth but body warmth. Dave is hugging me tightly. I look into his eyes with my blurry sight and I can faintly see his burning red eyes with his shades still on. I can feel no tears down my face even though I want to cry.

Then my sight fades to darkness.

. . . . .

I open my eyes to Dave, who looks completely healed. I feel his warmth as I am carried by him to... I don't know where. I lean against his chest and hear his heart beat, steady and strong.

Dave looks down at me and he gives me a warm smile. I force a smile back at him. "Where are we going?" I finally manage to croak.

"To our room I think." He says in his calm and cool voice. I look around and I see Karkat and Nepeta ahead. I smile at them even though they can't see me. I close my eyes and try to let my body relax but I am stiff. My body refuses to relax even though I will myself to do so.

I hear a door unlock and open. My eyelids refuse to open but I force them to do so anyway. Three lights. One outside of the room and two inside the room. The room is stone and two bunk beds lay inside. One of them is separated from the other by curtains. Probably one side girls, other side guys. Two dressers sit beside each bunk bed with a mirror above them.

"Here you are." Says a deep voice from the guard. "Your shifts start at 8:00 in the morning and end at 4:00. Your uniforms are in your dressers. Girls are on the left, guys are on the right." Then he leaves without another word.

Dave frowns at the room at how dull it looks. Brown curtains, rock walls and floor, one, brown carpet, brown beds, brown everything. The dim, yellow light shows that there is only the color brown. Karkat sighs and goes to the right side and closes the curtains.

Dave sets me down and I fight to stand. A dizzy spell sweeps over me but I fight it. I take a few steps and sway. Nepeta helps me to our beds. She lays me down on the bottom bunk and she climbs up to the top.

I stare at the wood above me and sigh. I feel so helpless again. "Hey, Nep?" I say to Nepeta who looks down at me from above.

"Yeah?"

"I-Is everyone alright? I Karkat's nose broken at all? Is Dave's stitches snapping? Have you gotten hurt?" I ask her as my sight blurs again.

"Karkat's nose is not broken and Dave got some sort of medicine and it seems to be working. Plus, the only thing that hurt me is losing you to the water. I thought you would be gone for sure! I am so glad your not though." She smiles and lays on her bed, out of my sight.

I fight back my pain and thank her for answering. Then I drift off into sleep.

. . . . .

My eyes open to Nepeta shaking my awake. "It's almost 8:00! Get up!" I groan and roll off onto the floor. I force myself to stand up and look her in the eyes. "Hurry and get dressed!" She says to me as she puts on her belt.

I open the dresser and pull out my uniform. I sigh ar it's brown and black color and slip it on. I drop my wet clothing onto the floor and search the room for a hanger or something to dry my wet clothes. Nothing. I sigh and tap Nepeta's shoulder.

She realises what I am about to ask and points to a line with her clothes on it. How did I miss that?

I walk over and place my wet clothes on it and I sigh at the uniform. It's bland color angers me. I am original! I am unique! I am not the same as everyone else!

Anger grows inside me for a stupid reason and I ignore it and follow Nepeta out of the room. "Where's Karkat and Dave?" I ask her as we walk out of the room.

"They are still getting ready I think." Nepeta says in front of me. Then I hear a shout and a thump from the guys side.

"Get your lazy ass up!" Karkat yells at Dave. Dave rolls onto the ground and another thump follows. "Get off me and get dressed!" Karkat yells again.

Dave groans and gets dressed. "Why is everything so brown and bland?" He says annoyed.

"Who the fuck cares?" Karkat says grumply.

"I do!" Dave shouts in anger as he forces the clothes on.

They emerge from their side in their uniforms and follow us out. I tighten my belt and stiffen at the sight of the river. My face goes white and I feel faint. But I fight it back.

The guard walks toward us and says happily and surprised, "You're on time!" Nepeta smiles and follows the guard toward the thin bridge. I stare at the water below and shuffle behind Nepeta. "Ok." Says the guard calmly. "Your first assignment is to clean the rock side. You have ropes so don't worry about falling in." I stand there frozen, thinking he is just playing a sick, cruel trick on us. But he is not. He ties a rope onto Nepeta's belt and lets her go down the rocky side above the water which is a little calmer than yesterday.

He grabs me and ties the rope onto my belt and drops me down. I flail and cling to the side, not daring to look down. The guard drops a cloth and I try to grab it but I fail. I fiddle around with it until it is in my trembling hands.

I place the cloth on the wall and slightly scrub. Fear overwhelms me. I grab onto the rope and climb up in fear. "I can't do it." I say in my now shaky voice. Everyone stares at me and I frown in embarrassment.

Dave sighs and jumps down and starts to clean. Karkat does the same and the guard walks over to me. "You have to do it or else you're gone." I gulp and slither down the watery wall.

I start to scrub. After a while I hear the bell from yesterday. Everyone is hauled up and shooed to their rooms. I am thrown in and demanded to stay put along with Karkat, Dave, and Nepeta.

"Why are we in here?" I ask.

"When the bell rings, the water rises and washes everything down into the river. Then we have to clean it. I don't know what's the point of it but..." Nepeta trails off as she hears a different bell ring.

"What is that bell?" I ask her. She shrugs. A guard burst through the door and urges us to follow him.

We follow.

"What's going on?" Nepeta asks the guard as we race through the tunnel to get to ground level.

"The infection has spread inside again only... someone blew up the wall and zombies are flooding in. We have to evacuate now!" The guard shouts over the screaming and flesh being ripped apart.

A bloody howl echoes in my mind and I am thrown to the ground. I flip so I am on my back and pushing the runner away from any biting area on me. Spit flies off its face and it hisses at me. The guard shoots it off me. "Come on!" He yells, pulling me to my feet.

I race after him and we run through the city that is being destroyed.


End file.
